Welcome to this Daily PBJ devotional. Read Genesis 5, Ezra 5, and Matthew 5. This devotional is about Matthew, chapter 5, particularly verses 1 through 12. When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven. For in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you. You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds, and glorify your Father in heaven. Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the law until everything is accomplished. So then, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do so likewise, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to the ancients, do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, Raka, will be subject to the Sanhedrin, but anyone who says, you fool, will be subject to the fire of hell. So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother, then come and offer your gift. Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny. You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery, but I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. and if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to depart into hell." It has also been said, whoever divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce. But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife except for sexual immorality brings adultery upon her, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. Again you have heard that it was said to the ancients, Do not break your oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord. But I tell you not to swear at all, either by heaven, for it is God's throne, or by the earth, for it is His footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor should you swear by your head, for you cannot make a single hair white or black. Simply let your yes be yes, and your no, no. Anything more comes from the evil one. You have heard that it was said, Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his son to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. This is God's Word. Matthew chapters 5-7 record what has been called the Sermon on the Mount. Christ's Sermon begins with the Beatitudes, and the word Beatitude is transliterated into English from the Latin word that begins each line. Since the only available translation of the Bible for hundreds of years was the Latin Vulgate, this Latin word for happiness, that is beatitude, stuck as the title of the first section of Christ's sermon. The Beatitudes are eight statements of Christ about who is really happy. And his list is quite surprising. If we were to commission the Gallup organization, say, to do a nationwide poll of ordinary Americans and ask them who is happy, I don't think the list we would get would be anywhere close to the one Jesus made here in Matthew chapter 5, verses 3 through 10. Even if we polled most Bible-believing Christians, my guess is that there would not be one answer in the top 10 that would correspond with anything Jesus put on his list. Each verse in the Beatitudes is worth thinking deeply about. But let's focus on one for today. Verse 6 says, Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. We humans long for so many things. We long for love, for security, for prosperity, for peace. We long for youth or good health or just a really great mocha. Okay, maybe that last one is just for me and maybe a few others of you. But sometimes we long for these things and our longing for them is palpable. We talk about starving for attention or thirsting for more. But think about people who have what you're starving for. Are the wealthy so happy that they never get divorced? Are the famous so satisfied with the attention they receive that they chase the paparazzi begging to have their pictures taken? If you wish you had your boss's job and all the perks that come with it, think. Is she deeply satisfied with that station in life, or is she longing and plotting to take her boss's job? In contrast to all the things that we think will satisfy us, Jesus said that those who are truly happy are the ones who long to be righteous. They thirst to live a life that is pleasing to God. The hunger within that drives them is a hunger to think like God does, to act like God would, and to radiate the goodness of God in their words and their actions. Instead of wanting to be like Mike, as the old Gatorade commercial put it, they want to be like Christ. These are the people Jesus said would be satisfied. He promised at the end of verse 6, they will be filled. When we talk about being righteous people, we have to remember two things. First, our own righteousness is detestable to God because it is, at best, imperfect and incomplete. In reality, it's tainted through and through with our own sinful attitudes and our own sinful actions. The only way we can ever accurately be described as righteous is if God gives us credit for being righteous even when we're not. And that's what He has done in Jesus Christ. When we trust God's promise of life in Jesus, God treats us as if we lived the perfect life that Jesus lived. And God also then forgives us for our sins because of the payment Christ made for us on the cross. Once we've been credited with righteousness by God, God goes to work on our longings. That's the second thing we need to remember about being righteous. Over time and through the gifts of the scriptures, the church, the trials of life, and other things. God uproots our longing for sinful things and replaces that longing for sinful things with a desire to be righteous in reality. As we grow in Christ, we long to be more like Him. The payoff for this, though, comes in the future. Jesus said, they will be filled, not they are filled. In other words, the experience of happiness will be fully delivered when we see Christ and are transformed perfectly and finally into his likeness. Until then, we have the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit as our down payment, giving us a delicious taste of what it will be like to feel full of righteousness when we are with Jesus. So let me encourage you to think about what you hunger and thirst for. and to ask God to give you that hunger and thirst to be a righteous person, to become, in reality, what God says you already are in Jesus Christ. This is pleasing to the Lord, and this is the way to biblical happiness. So seek for that today, and I'll see you next time. May God bless you. I hope you have a great day today.